Sway (¿Quién Será?) in A#

Sway (¿Quién Será?) in A#

Pablo Beltrán Ruiz compuso 'Quién Será' en 1953 para el cantante Acerina. Dean Martin la grabó en inglés como 'Sway' en 1954 y llegó al Top 10 en EE.UU. Michael Bublé la revivió en 2003. El mambo cha-cha festivo con su ostinato de Am-E7 es uno de los ritmos latinos más conocidos en el mundo anglosajón, y 'Sway' figura en innumerables bandas sonoras de Hollywood.

Sway (¿Quién Será?) in A#

A# (Bb) major requires barre chords rooted at fret 1 on the A string or fret 6 on the E string. Despite the barre demands, it is a common key in funk, New Orleans R&B, and brass band music. The open D string can ring as the major third for added color. A# is a intermediate-level key on guitar because the open D string is the major 3rd of Bb, adding a bright color if allowed to ring. Expect to rely on barre chords throughout, which builds hand strength and unlocks the entire fretboard.

Voice Leading

The bass line moves through A# to F (descending perfect fourth), F to D# (descending whole step), D# to C# (descending whole step), C# to G# (descending perfect fourth), G# to A# (ascending whole step). The predominantly stepwise bass motion creates smooth, connected voice leading. When the progression loops, the bass returns from A# to A# by unison.

Scales for Improvisation

A# major pentatonic works because every note is either a chord tone or a safe passing tone — there are no avoid notes. For soloing, this means you can play freely without clashing. Over dominant seventh chords, A# Mixolydian adds the flat seventh for an authentic blues-rock edge.